1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-layered disc in which a plurality of recording layers for recording information data are laminated, and also to a multi-layered disc reproducing apparatus for reproducing the information data recorded on the multi-layered disc.
2. Description of the Related Art
As one of various types of optical discs, there is an optical disc having a recording surface, which is recorded by a pre-format. This optical disc has a control area and a data area on the recording surface. In the control area, control data, which deal with recording/reproducing conditions, e.g., recording power of a light beam, a recording modulation method, etc., when recording the information data into the data area, are recorded. The control area is separated into a PEP (Phase Encoded Part) area, where one portion of the control data are recorded in the form of a PEP signal, and a SFP (Standard Formatted Part) area, where another portion of the control data are recorded in the form of a SFP signal. In the data area, the information data to be reproduced are recorded as the SFP signal.
Since the PEP signal recorded in the PEP area is arranged such that it can be read out without the tracking servo, the combination of the mirror portion and a plurality of pits indicating 1 bit is recorded with a much larger size than the pit size in the SFP area. In other words, the combinations are recorded with a low density.
Developing the information data with a larger capacity of an optical disc is attempted, and the demand for a multi-layered disc having two or more recording layers is increased. Therefore, as for a multi-layered disc, it is desirable to provide a multi-layered disc having the PEP area in which the above mentioned control data are recorded in the inner circumferential portion of each recording layer, and to provide a multi-layered disc reproducing apparatus which can read out the information data in the data area of each recording layer on the basis of the control data in the PEP area.